Do we need a car in LA?

[LawrenceFamily]

Hi everyone,

We're going to LA for 4 nights next year as part of a 15 night trip to Aulani and SF and was looking for a bit of advice on the best location to stay and how to get around whilst in LA.

We'll be starting off in LA for 4 nights and are mainly looking to do the following:

1 day @ Magic Mountain Six Flags
1 day @ Universal
1 day @ Raging Waters Water Park
A few hours looking around LA (Hollywood sign, walk of fame, etc)

I was looking at Hilton Universal so we can walk to Universal on the day we go there and then get an uber to the rest of the locations. However Raging Waters and Six Flags are so spread out that it would cost $50-$60 dollars each way for an uber. With that in mind, is a car essential for us or should be save the cash and make do with Lyft/Ubers?

Is Universal area the best area for us to be based on what we have planned, or is there a better location?

Thanks,

LawrenceFamily

 

[Steven G]

I would recommend a car if you want to go to Magic Mountain and Raging Waters.

Los Angeles is very spread out, and you may actually have trouble finding an Uber or Lyft willing to take you that far.

Getting to Hollywood shouldn't be a problem from Universal.

If you're willing to pay for the hotel you listed, it's a fine choice. Otherwise, you may want to consider VRBO or similar sites, they often have better pricing and more room than a hotel stay.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Short Answer, Yes.

Love SFMM, I would take my kids a lot more often, but the drive - OMG. It's brutal after a long day in the park. However, I would much rather have the flexibility in driving than have to order Ubers to get around. If nothing else it allows you to stop somewhere outside the park to get food after you are done. Book it with Autoslash.com - I'd be willing to bet you can get a rental car for about what you are budgeting for Ubers.

IMHO, I would skip the walk of fame - it's dirty and disappointing. Griffith Park Observatory is nice and you'll be able to see the sign from there or certainly get a good look at it on the way up.

 

[China Expat]

You definitely need a car for that itinerary! I would transfer to Pasadena area to get to Six Flags (50 minutes), and to get to Raging Waters (45 minutes). You can also get to downtown LA in under 30 minutes. You must check out Griffith Park, Olvera Street, the Lost Bookstore, Grand Central Market and ANgel's flight, and the Union Station train station.The Japanese Internment Museum is near Union Station and Little Tokyo.

 

[bcla]

Magic Mountain absolutely requires a car. Uber or Lyft would be astronomically expensive from LA.

Universal is actually close to public transportation (Metro Red Line), but it's kind of sketchy at times with all the mentally ill and/or homeless on trains and in stations. But I generally felt safe even if there was something odd going on.

I was staying in Hollywood and went to Universal for an hour. There's a free shuttle (one one of their trams) from across the street from the Red Line station.

 

[Sykes]

You'll be happier with a car, but I'll disagree with some of the others and say that this itinerary is 100% do-able in Uber/Lyft if that is your preference. I do trips like that all the time without a rental car (including, specifically, a trip that hit all of SFMM, Universal Studios, and Disneyland). As long as you can get away with an UberX, Ubers are cheap enough in LA that you can spend 2 hours in one going from one side of the LA Basin to the other and still pay less than $100 (absent very high surge pricing). It's not cheap by any means, but it's not astronomical.

 

[sjmac42]

I’d also say you will find having a car beneficial in LA regardless of long trips to Six Flags and Raging Waters or not. LA is a car city and while public transport is good between say Universal and Hollywood, it is poor and time consuming to non existent in other places around LA.

 

[ktlm]

We were in the Disneyland area last weekend, not LA area, but I will say that the Uber prices were significantly higher than we have experienced in the past. We only left the resort in the first 24 hours to go 3 places and back (in addition to going from SNA to the resort), but if I had rented a vehicle for one night, even with Disney parking, it would have save me quite a bit of money.

I would absolutely get a car with your itinerary. We like the Hilton Universal. If you say there, you could easily uber to the Hollywood area and back to avoid having to try to find parking there. It isn't far, and the Uber prices shouldn't be too bad for that. If you haven't considered the Warner Brothers studio tour, you should take a look at that. It is only about 10 minutes from Universal and it is a lot of fun. It was a highlight of our trip to that area. The Griffith Observatory is a great place to view the Hollywood sign as well as a great place to go (it is in so many movies).

 

[StageTek]

I was looking at Hilton Universal so we can walk to Universal on the day we go there and then get an uber to the rest of the locations. However Raging Waters and Six Flags are so spread out that it would cost $50-$60 dollars each way for an uber. With that in mind, is a car essential for us or should be save the cash and make do with Lyft/Ubers?

You have done your research!

For those attractions the Universal area seems like your best choice for a hotel. Easy to get to the Hollywood area for a few hours of looking around.

You've done the math - do the two round trips (Six Flags/Raging Waters) come out to less than a car rental? Renting a car will give you more flexibility and I suspect the price would be very close. Also, add in the cost of transportation to/from LAX to Universal...

 

[bcla]

You'll be happier with a car, but I'll disagree with some of the others and say that this itinerary is 100% do-able in Uber/Lyft if that is your preference. I do trips like that all the time without a rental car (including, specifically, a trip that hit all of SFMM, Universal Studios, and Disneyland). As long as you can get away with an UberX, Ubers are cheap enough in LA that you can spend 2 hours in one going from one side of the LA Basin to the other and still pay less than $100 (absent very high surge pricing). It's not cheap by any means, but it's not astronomical.

I'm getting about $50 before gratuity one-way from Hollywood to Magic Mountain.

 

[Rex1993]

You'll be fine. Streetcars will get you anywhere you want to be...